Scott Jenkins is charming, smooth, full of ambition and he has plans. Plans that don’t involve being a 19-year-old builder, working long hours at his father’s construction company, hauling wheelbarrows or stacking bricks in an underpaid job. But as with most things in Scott’s world, the dreams and ambitions he has set himself never really go to plan.

When Scott’s best mate, Ethan Walker, hits rock bottom, everything changes overnight. After years of trying to figure out his purpose in life, he now knows what he has to do, and more importantly, who he has to save. Tiptoeing on the outskirts of a world filled with drugs and violence, Scott ends up walking down roads he never even knew existed. What was once a simple life, suddenly seems incredibly complicated – especially with the arrival of a forbidden love who is determined to make things even more difficult for him.

Follow Scott on his journey to Wonderland, where friendships are tested, relationships are destroyed and a dangerous woman leaves the guy who once thought he knew exactly, what he wanted, in the pits of despair.

Road to Wonderland Series book 5 (all books are standalone reads)

Author Bio:

Charlie M Matthews is a hopeless romantic, lost in her own world of fairytales and adventures. A lover of art and painting, she’d happily hang up her everyday clothes in exchange for a paint smudged shirt. In the confines of her attic room, she is able to create a world that is unlike no other. Mixing fantasy and fiction to generate a piece of work that she could lose herself in.

Charlie is a mum of three, living on the outskirts of Oxfordshire. Born and raised in Reading, she switched the bright lights and traffic jams for a quiet life in the sticks a little over 5 years ago. Between school runs and generally just being a mum, you’ll most likely find Charlie at the local hair spa. Flipping through magazines sporting the latest colour craze, or mixing colours and arranging up-do’s, sparking her creative side.

With her wild imagination and passion for reading, Charlie stumbled upon a new love.

Writing…

What started as a distraction from the crazy thing that is ‘life’, soon became all too real. She no longer dreamt, about the day her words would be published for all to see because that day was finally happening.

LJS: Slipping into the interview room with a six pack of beers and a pen in my ponytail, I hop over the back of the sofa and grin at the lovely lady thats smiling at me. I’ve been thinking long and hard about the questions I want to ask her about her and her writing, and as I hand her a beer and pull my legs up under me, I offer the neck of the bottle in a small toast.

“Hiya Charlie Bear. Absolutely brilliant to see you. You ready for the hard hitting questions?”

CMM: *What was I thinking allowing this interview to take place in this madhouse? I’d bribed the sproggs with surprise eggs and haribos on the condition they behaved. I only hope LJ is ready for this…

Slumping my back against the chair, I blow out a breath and idly run my hands over the table that is currently covered in ickle fingerprints and forgotten paint splodges.

As the dainty footsteps near, and LJ’s perdie face pops into view, I give the bin-lids a final warning glare before I throw on a dazzling smile.

I can’t help but admire the beer as she hands over a bottle and we clink in a toast like manner*

Laughing, I give her the eye “That depends.. Are you going to go easy on me?”

LJS: Grins at her cheesily. “Me? Never…Okay so that’s a lie, but we’ll see how this goes.”

Shifting in my seat I pull the pen from my hair and magic a notebook from the ether.

“Okay, let’s get started. You’re a mother to three beautiful kids, and you work, quite a bit recently, too. When do you find the time to write?”

CMM: “Honestly? It has been really tough, but as with everything in life, you have to work for it.”

“Every spare second I have, which isn’t much, I throw into writing. With Scott’s novel, I knew I had to get it done and it would never get easier. But don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed every second of it. The good and bad.” Nods and smiles.

LJS: “What would be your perfect writing conditions if you could steal a good couple of hours to put the proverbial pen to paper, where, when and how would that be?”

Watches a couple kids tear past giggling.

CMM: Chucks a few naughty treats on the rug in the hopes they’ll behave.

“The sky would be as blue as the ocean on a clear summers day. Serene and peaceful.

Not very original, huh?”

LJS: Giggles and lifts eyebrows. “I think it’s perfect. I think everyone has their own personal idea of perfect conditions and at the end of the day that’s what matters most. I can actually see you sat there quite happily with a cooler filled with beer and we’d have you there for longer.

When did you start writing? And when did the true bug bite you? Do you have anything planned beyond the wonderland series?”

CMM: “Oh, they’re would definitely be beer” Nods.

“I’ve always enjoyed writing. As a kid, I would write tons of short stories and give them to my parents on their birthdays, anniversaries, etc.. It was just something that seemed to flow naturally to me.”

“Ya know? I think they still have them in the loft somewhere” Cringing, I take a swig of beer and shake my head.

“Anyway, it seemed to fade away as I grew older. Partying and boozing it up down the local had become my life. I was a right tearaway, just ask my mum. Actually.. don’t.” Chuck’s head back on a laugh before continuing.

“It wasn’t really until I discovered Twitter that I realised how much I had missed it. Then came Wonderland..” Goes all starry eyed n stuff.

“The storylines they produced were so touching and real that it was hard not to fall in love with them. They brought me into their little world and here I am, about to release my first novel.” Squeals and claps hands.

“Do I have any plans beyond Wonderland?” Tilts bottle to lips and pauses…

“Honestly? I haven’t really thought that far ahead. Scott’s novel is so important to me and getting it right, and out there, is all I can see right now. But… I do have a love for paranormal romances. I would definitely like to try my hand at one myself. I have the whole story planned out up here,” taps head with bottle and grins. “But for now, it’s just Scott.”

LJS: “Paranormal romance and urban fantasy’s are a few of my favorite things too! It’s funny how some things can just penetrate soul deep and inspire you isn’t it? Okay,” shuffles on seat and bites lip. “Now for a question I’ve managed to avoid thus far, so I’m going to torture you with it. You’re obviously writing from a man’s perspective, and you do it very naturally and believably. How did you get into a male perspective? Where do you draw your inspiration from?”

CMM: “I agree. It’s a world full of endless possibilities. A lot like Wonderland” Does a Cheshire Cat grin and pops another bottle open.

“I absolutely adore the male species. Everything about them intrigues me. I obviously know how the female mind works so it’s easier to tell a story from that perspective. However, as a dude? I’m not so sure.” Laughs. “I’m not gonna lie and say it’s been easy. It really hasn’t, but you’re right. I do feel it has come naturally to me, in a sense, I feel like it’s the inner tomboy in me crying out to be heard.”

“On a not so serious note. There was a time last year where I happened to be writing a scene which involved a sexual act being performed. I was at a loss because I seriously had no clue how a man would feel in that situation.”

“It was a long day full of spa treatments followed by a few bottles of the bubbly kind. A meal at a nice restaurant seemed like a good idea. I was piss drunk by this stage. Wobbling around in my converse, not really knowing which way was which. Anyway..,” wafts hand. “To cut a long story short, I decided it was a great idea to ask the hot chef what it felt like to receive a blow job. Let’s just say, his cheeks weren’t pink from the hot stove he’d been slaving over all night.” Covers face with hands and groans at the memory.

“Really, if there is something that I am unsure of and need a male perspective on, I’ll ask. It doesn’t matter who. Brother, uncle, the homeless dude outside McDonalds, I do however, draw the line at asking Daddy. I don’t need to know that information!” Shivers.

“I also like to watch men. That sounds freaky right? Not in the stalker kinda way, though. Unless of course, it’s Paul Wesley. In that case I would happily stalk his fine behind.”

“Did I go off topic?” *shifty eyes*

LJS: I’m laughing along with her at this point, a little giddily actually because I know just what she means. “Okay, that being said, do you find it easier to write from a male, or female perspective?”

CMM: “That’s an easy one. Male. Definitely male. I’ve never been any good at showing my emotions. You would never be able to look at me and say, “I know exactly what you’re thinking.” I’ve always been the same. With a female it’s different, most tend to show a lot of emotions, whereas the women that are like me, aren’t so great with that. I’m not saying it’s bad thing either way, but with a dude I find it a lot easier. They’ll tell you exactly how they feel. In my experience anyway. I’m not saying there aren’t men out there like me. I’m positive there are. I just.. I don’t know. Find it easier to express the feelings I need to from a man’s pov.”

“Does that make sense, Wee? It’s hard to explain”

LJS: “It actually makes perfect sense. I think you did an amazing job at explaining it. It can be quite liberating to just say it like it is with a good couple of expletives thrown in and not being judged for it.” Grinning, I look down at the notebook and back up with a bright smile. “Ooh we’re onto the more personal part of this interview. If you could do anything in the world as an occupation, if you could join that ridiculously low percentage of people who enjoy their jobs, what would you do, and why?”

CMM: “As you know, I have recently joined a hair salon in Oxford. I am having the most amazing time learning and testing my limits that I really couldn’t see myself doing anything else. Growing up, I had always wanted to be a make-up artist and so I guess I did kinda stick to that type of profession in some way.” Smiles proudly and a big gulp.

LJS: “I never knew that! Were you scared when you started? I know a lot of women are… protective of their hair. It has to be intimidating to have a pair of scissors in your hand.”

CMM: “I was literally petrified!” Blows out a breath and sinks back in chair. “As you so quite rightly said.. Us woman are so protective of our hair. Having said that, finding ways to improve their look, whether it’s a colour change or a restyle, that feeling of satisfaction when they leave the salon on a high is the most amazing feeling. Knowing that you’ve made them feel that way gives you the warm and fuzzies. I was given my first pair of scissors a few months back and have done a fair few cuts already. I remember my first cut took me about two hours because I had a constant shake on” Laughs loudly and shakes head at memory. “I actually did my first bob the other night which was amazing. Scary. But amazing.” Beams proudly.

LJS: “That’s epic! I am so proud of you!! You took to it like a duck to water too.” Gives her an epic grin. “You’re one of the lucky ones. That’s for sure. Now a couple fun questions and I will leave you be for the evening.” winks. “Give me a couple songs that would have you dancing around in your kitchen? You know the ones that you can’t sit still with if you tried.”

CMM: “Naaaaw. Spanks muchly” Tucks hair behind ear.

“Songs? Ooh, that’s a tricky one because I love everything. Literally. EVERYTHING!!

A few off the top of my head.

California Gurls by Katy Perry. Gotta love a bit of cheeeeeeeeese.

Waiting All Night, by Rudimental. And we all know why.. *winks*

Ooh, and Church by T. Pain

LJS: “Rudimental always has me dancing.” Grins. “Okay. You’re stuck on a desert island. Shipwrecked, just because it works better in the image in my head.” Taps temple and laughs. “You managed to grab a waterproof bag and shove a couple things inside before ship went down. What do you grab?”

CMM: Clucks tongue to cheek. “That’s a trick question, right? A bottle of corona and ibuprofen, cause it only takes one bottle to get me tiddly and suffer from a two day hangover from hell” Laughs..

LJS: “Lightweight.” Snorts and grins again. “Last question. You get to sit down to dinner with a dead celebrity, or someone historically relevant but no longer with us. Who would it be, and what would be the one question you would want answered?

CMM: Henry VIII, because I’m a history freak.

The question I would have to ask is this..

Are you going to divorce me, behead me, or will I live to see another day?

LJS: “This has been amazing and I love the answer to your last question. The Tudors have always been some of the most interesting people. Can you imagine?” Laughs and polishes off the bottle I’m drinking. “You have been amazing! Thanks so much for tolerating my irrational and strange questions. I do feel like I know you better though! Do you have any last words? And not in the Henry VIII kinda way either.” Laughs.

CMM: “Bahahahahaha. I do have one question that I have been dying to know since Without Mercy came out. Do you plan on writing another?”

LJS: Grinning and tapping my nose, I can’t help the inevitable nod. “Absolutely. Their story isn’t over yet, not by a long shot. It’s just the when.”

Standing up and stretching out my legs, I grab Charlie by the chops and gives her a kiss on each and one on the nose. “Thank you so much for this. You’re awesome and I’ve had a blast! Now lets get some music on and let the dancing commence!”

Scott Jenkins is charming, smooth, full of ambition and he has plans. Plans that don’t involve being a 19-year-old builder, working long hours at his father’s construction company, hauling wheelbarrows or stacking bricks in an underpaid job. But as with most things in Scott’s world, the dreams and ambitions he has set himself never really go to plan.

When Scott’s best mate, Ethan Walker, hits rock bottom, everything changes overnight. After years of trying to figure out his purpose in life, he now knows what he has to do, and more importantly, who he has to save. Tiptoeing on the outskirts of a world filled with drugs and violence, Scott ends up walking down roads he never even knew existed. What was once a simple life, suddenly seems incredibly complicated – especially with the arrival of a forbidden love who is determined to make things even more difficult for him.

Follow Scott on his journey to Wonderland, where friendships are tested, relationships are destroyed and a dangerous woman leaves the guy who once thought he knew exactly, what he wanted, in the pits of despair.

Author Bio

Charlie M Matthews is a hopeless romantic, lost in her own world of fairytales and adventures. A lover of art and painting, she’d happily hang up her everyday clothes in exchange for a paint smudged shirt. In the confines of her attic room, she is able to create a world that is unlike no other. Mixing fantasy and fiction to generate a piece of work that she could lose herself in.

Charlie is a mum of three, living on the outskirts of Oxfordshire. Born and raised in Reading, she switched the bright lights and traffic jams for a quiet life in the sticks a little over 5 years ago. Between school runs and generally just being a mum, you’ll most likely find Charlie at the local hair spa. Flipping through magazines sporting the latest colour craze, or mixing colours and arranging up-do’s, sparking her creative side.

With her wild imagination and passion for reading, Charlie stumbled upon a new love.

Writing…

What started as a distraction from the crazy thing that is ‘life’, soon became all too real. She no longer dreamt, about the day her words would be published for all to see because that day was finally happening.